Though he won in two constituencies, he was resigned from Wayanad seat in Kerala, where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest in a by-election | File photo
Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari claimed that every opposition leader is a ‘prospective prime minister’ and praised Rahul Gandhi for addressing people’s issues and providing a ‘healing impulse’ to places like Manipur.
Gandhi became leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha in late June after the Lok Sabha election results showed that the BJP failed to secure a majority but was given the mandate along with its NDA allies.
Asked whether Gandhi took on the role of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and whether he was seen as a future Prime Minister, Tewari replied: “Every Leader of the Opposition is a future Prime Minister…”
“As far as Mr Gandhi is concerned, his speeches have been very well received across the length and breadth of the country. He has voiced issues that are close to the hearts of the people and that has resonated across the country,” Tewari said while talking to PTI editors at the news agency’s headquarters here.
“The visits he has made as Leader of the Opposition even to places that really needed healing, like Manipur, which unfortunately remains dormant and divided almost a year after the unfortunate developments of the past year, are truly a testament to his maturity,” the Lok Sabha MP from Chandigarh said.
It is the first time in a decade that an opposition leader has taken a seat in the Lower House, as the Congress and other opposition parties failed to secure the required 10 per cent of the membership needed to hold the post in the 16th and 17th Lok Sabha.
Gandhi, who turned 54 in June, has served as a Member of Parliament for five terms and currently represents the Rae Bareli constituency, previously held by his mother Sonia Gandhi.
Though he won in two constituencies, he dropped out of the Wayanad seat in Kerala, where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is contesting in a by-election.
Gandhi first entered the Lok Sabha in 2004, after his victory in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
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First publication: Aug 28, 2024 | 2:55 PM IST